Martina Bavec

Organic Production and Use of Alternative Crops

INTRODUCTION What is Organic Agriculture? Organic Food Multifunctionality of Organic Agriculture Organic Crop Production Contribution of Organic Agriculture to the Conservation of Alternative Crops and their Utilization Development References CEREALS Spelt Einkorn Emmer Kamut Triticale Intermediate Wheatgrass References PSEUDOCEREALS (WITHOUT MILLETS) Buckwheat Quinoa Grain Amaranths Wild Rice References MILLETS Proso Millet Foxtail, Foxtail Millet Pearl Millet Finger Millet White Fonio Barnyard Millet Little Millet References ALTERNATIVE OIL PLANTS Oil (Seed) Pumpkins Camelina Safflower White Mustard (Garden) Poppy References ALTERNATIVE FIBER, ROOT, AND TUBER CROPS Industrial and Edible-Seed Hemp Flax Jerusalem Artichoke Sweet Potato References LEGUMES Chickpea Groundnut Soybean: Small Attention to the Important Crop Vigna: A Few Words about a Widely Spread Genus References SOME TRADITIONAL AND NEW KINDS OF FOOD FROM SOME ALTERNATIVE CROPS Homemade Food from Buckwheat Homemade Food from Amaranths Homemade Food from Millet References Index

Biodynamic agriculture research progress and priorities

Biodynamic (BD) agriculture became the subject of research efforts during the past decades, whereas a part of the scientific community looks at the BD method with skepticism and marks it as dogmatic. Nevertheless, as explored in this review, a fair share of the available peer-reviewed research results of controlled field experiments as well as case studies show effects of BD preparations on yield, soil quality and biodiversity. Moreover, BD preparations express a positive environmental impact in terms of energy use and efficiency. However, the underlying natural science mechanistic principle of BD preparations is still under investigation. In addition, quality determination methods, based on holistic approaches, are increasingly being investigated and recognized. BD farming strives, as manifested in several publications, to positively impact cultural landscape design as well. Summarized data showed that further research is needed and thus encouraged in the field of food quality comparison/determination, food safety, environmental performance (e.g., footprints), and on the effects of BD farming practices on farm animals.

Yield performance and agronomic efficiency in oil pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo L. group Pepo) depending on production systems and varieties

Abstract In 2013 and 2014, a long-term trial (which was established in 2007) was conducted at the University Agricultural Centre in Pivola near Hoče. It included different production systems (conventional, integrated, organic, biodynamic), carried out in a field trial with oil pumpkins. The aim of the research was to analyse the effects of different production systems, varieties (hybrid and population variety) and years of production, on formation of oil pumpkin yields. The agricultural practice has been carried out in accordance with the applicable legislations and standards for the individual production system. When sowing, before fertilizing with nitrogen in early June and after the harvest, the amount of soil mineral nitrogen was monitored. We evaluated the number and weight of harvestable, unripe and decayed fruits, and yield of oil seed pumpkins and calculated the agronomic efficiency of the applied nutrients. The results showed that the year of production, the production system and the variety have a significant effect on some fruit characteristics and the yield of oil pumpkin seeds. The content of soil mineral nitrogen in May and September was significantly influenced by the production system and the year. In June, only the production system had a significant effect. The hybrid significantly increased the yields of oil pumpkin seeds in all production systems, even in the year that was less suitable for production. The agronomic efficiency of the applied nutrients in the biodynamic and organic production system is higher or equal than in the conventional production system, similarly, agronomic efficiency is higher in the hybrid compared to the oldest population variety efficiently. A comparable oil pumpkin yield can be expected in biodynamic and organic production, when proper nutrition and well carried out cultivation practices are combined with a new variety, when compared to less sustainable production systems, which often cause damage to the environment.

Growth performance, productivity and diseases susceptibility of barley varieties in Slovenia within the Cobra project's site comparison

Abstract Different plant genotypes react differently in different climates. A field experiment was carried out to estimate the growth performance, productivity and diseases susceptibility of spring barley varieties in the Slovenian climate. We received some varieties, mainly of Nordic origin, from the Technical University of Denmark, a COBRA project partner, which were previously tested in estimated future climate in RERAF phytotron. Varieties of the highest grain yield (3,993 kg ha-1 in ‘Evergreen’ to 5,146 kg ha-1 in ‘Sebastian’) were rather shorter (58.7 cm to 67.1 cm) and mostly had the highest specific grain weight (54.3 to 58.6 kg 100 L-1) and 1000-kernel weight (30.2 to 37.1 g). They developed 1,561 to 2,532 tillers m-2 and 515 to 840 ears m-2 and reached a heading stage between 13th and 25th of May. The tested varieties seem rather insusceptible to most common diseases, but susceptible to cereal leaf beetle attacks.

Mortality, progeny production and preference of Sitophilus zeamais adults to wheat from integrated and alternative production systems

ABSTRACT The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of the production systems of wheat from different production systems on the mortality, progeny production and preference of Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). The factors tested were production system (integrated [INT], organic [ORG], biodynamic [BD] and control), which differed in plant protection and fertiliser procedures during plant growth and development; exposure interval (7, 14 and 21 d); relative humidity (r.h.) (55% and 75%) and temperature (20°C, 25°C and 30°C). Mortality after 7 d increased with the temperature increase and decreased with the increase in r.h. in most of the tested combinations. The mortality of weevils was higher in ORG compared to INT-produced wheat after 7 d. Progeny production was recorded 56 d after removal of parental adults and was higher at 75% r.h. in comparison to 55% r.h. At 55% r.h. and 20°C, progeny was 60.8% higher when S. zeamais were exposed to ORG in comparison to INT-produced wheat. Wheat from different production systems influenced mortality rates which were higher in alternative compared to INT production systems under optimal conditions for wheat storage (low temperature and r.h.). The reverse was recorded for temperature and r.h. increase. Progeny was not affected by wheat from various production systems. Significantly more S. zeamais adults were found in traps containing wheat from BD and control in comparison to INT. An understanding of the agricultural processes, biotic and abiotic factors which alter the post-harvest response of storage pests could be useful for the development of efficient post-harvest strategies for ORG and BD farms and the processing industry.

Impact of Organic Farming on Biodiversity

In last several decades agriculture has been oriented towards industrial and extremely intensive farming practices, aimed at ensuring enough food for the human population, a goal that was not achieved. These types of farming practices also caused several negative environ‐ mental impacts such as decreasing biodiversity, including the farm bird index, where a decline has been observed in Slovenia since 2008. Many farms intensified their activities and became highly mechanized, whilst those unable to do so became increasingly marginalized and were sometimes forced to abandon their land, causing equally devastating consequences for biodiversity [1]. Today, it is globally imperative that the growing demand for food be met in a manner that is socially equitable and ecologically sustainable over the long term. It is possible to design farming systems that are equally productive and that maintain or enhance the provisioning of ecosystem services (i.e., biodiversity, soil quality, nutrient management, waterholding capacity, control of weeds, diseases and pests, pollination services, carbon sequestra‐ tion, energy efficiency and reducing global warming potential, as well as resistance and resilience to climate change and crop productivity) and thus agroecosystem resilience and sustainability [2].

Sweet maize growth and yield response to organic and mineral fertilizers, N rates and soil water regimes.

Abstract Sweet maize is an underutilized vegetable in European temperate areas, and its consumption is increasing. For better understanding of cultivation practices, this pot experiment aimed to determine the effects of different water regimes and nitrogen (N) rates calculated from N target values. N rates of 0 (control), 0.6 and 2 g N pot-1 were applied as organic by-products pumpkin cake and pig manure digestate, and mineral fertilizers CAN 27 and ENTEC®26. Treatments of water supply were based on measured soil matric potentials of 2.8 pF (drought stress), 2.6 pF (optimal water) and 2.4 pF (overwatered). In comparison to mineral fertilizers, pumpkin cake proved to be equal in effectiveness in plant height (155.8 cm), cob (85.8 g), green (124.9 g) and leaf mass per plant (44.2 g), or even better in root (72.3 g) and broom mass per plant (3.0 g). Yield parameters, cob mass (70.1 g), its length (6.3 cm) and diameter (2.0 cm), as well as the residual mineral N (59 mg N kg-1) significantly increased at the highest N rate. Significantly lower values of the evaluated morphological parameters and photosynthetic rates (at brooming and harvesting) were associated with drought stress. The matric tension of 2.6 pF was established as an appropriate water regime for sweet maize growth.

A possibility of determining the authenticity of organic wheat using GC-MS

Qualitative analysis of liposoluble wheat extract from conventional, integrated, organic, biodynamic and control farming systems was performed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Organic and biodynamic farming systems were close to each other versus conventional and integrated which are similar in fertilization and plant protection. In the control treatment no fertilization or plant protection was used. Cluster analysis (CA) was applied to classify the samples according to lipid profiles in wheat from different farming systems. The obtained results showed that better discrimination of wheat samples was achieved by analyzing the peak area after 18 min retention time (non-saponifiable lipid fraction), than used the peak area for the whole chromatogram. The study has found that this method can be a potentially used for making a distinction between organic and non-organic wheat production.